Currently, a phone number provides a globally unique identifier for an endpoint in a telephone or communications network. These phone numbers are typically visible in the public domain, e.g., a phonebook or an online directory. Once a phone number is known, it can be dialed and connected to from any phone or telecommunication device in a telephone or communications network.
A phone number has a single destination or device associated with it, such as a household phone, a business phone, or a person's cell phone.
A phone number can be a private number, which restricts, or is meant to restrict, a public disclosure of the number. However, a private number, once learned, can be called or reached just like a public number or could be reached by random dialing.
A shortcoming of known systems is that phone numbers, for example, are either public or private as, currently, there is no “hybrid approach” that allows a public number to have certain attributes of being private, for example, an otherwise public phone number that is restricted from being called by a non-authorized party or device.
Another shortcoming of known systems is that a phone number cannot be duplicated as each phone number has to be unique. This means that an allocated phone number can only be assigned to one user or device at a time.